AMD Phenom II X4 840 vs Intel Core i7-940

Comparative analysis of AMD Phenom II X4 840 and Intel Core i7-940 processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Memory, Compatibility, Security & Reliability, Advanced Technologies, Virtualization. Benchmark processor performance analysis: PassMark - Single thread mark, PassMark - CPU mark, Geekbench 4 - Single Core, Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core, CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s).

AMD Phenom II X4 840

Intel Core i7-940

Differences

Reasons to consider the AMD Phenom II X4 840

CPU is newer: launch date 2 year(s) 2 month(s) later
Around 5% higher maximum core temperature: 71°C vs 67.9°C
2x more L1 cache, more data can be stored in the L1 cache for quick access later
2x more L2 cache, more data can be stored in the L2 cache for quick access later
Around 37% lower typical power consumption: 95 Watt vs 130 Watt
5.7x better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s): 2.92 vs 0.508
Around 67% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s): 3.91 vs 2.347

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	January 2011 vs November 2008
Maximum core temperature	71°C vs 67.9°C
L1 cache	512 KB vs 64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	2 MB vs 256 KB (per core)
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	95 Watt vs 130 Watt
Benchmarks
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	2.92 vs 0.508
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	3.91 vs 2.347

Reasons to consider the Intel Core i7-940

4 more threads: 8 vs 4
Around 1% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1310 vs 1298
Around 22% better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 2947 vs 2414
Around 31% better performance in Geekbench 4 - Single Core: 512 vs 391
Around 49% better performance in Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core: 1971 vs 1325
3.6x better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s): 32.258 vs 8.884
Around 20% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s): 0.191 vs 0.159

Specifications (specs)
Number of threads	8 vs 4
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1310 vs 1298
PassMark - CPU mark	2947 vs 2414
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	512 vs 391
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	1971 vs 1325
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	32.258 vs 8.884
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	0.191 vs 0.159

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: AMD Phenom II X4 840
CPU 2: Intel Core i7-940

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1298

1310

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

2414

2947

Geekbench 4 - Single Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

391

512

Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

1325

1971

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

2.92

0.508

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

8.884

32.258

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

0.159

0.191

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

3.91

2.347

Name	AMD Phenom II X4 840	Intel Core i7-940
PassMark - Single thread mark	1298	1310
PassMark - CPU mark	2414	2947
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	391	512
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	1325	1971
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	2.92	0.508
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	8.884	32.258
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	0.159	0.191
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	3.91	2.347
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)		0.84

Compare specifications (specs)

	AMD Phenom II X4 840	Intel Core i7-940
Essentials
Architecture codename	Propus	Bloomfield
Family	AMD Phenom
Launch date	January 2011	November 2008
Launch price (MSRP)	$90	$299
OPN PIB	HDX840WFGMBOX
OPN Tray	HDX840WFK42GM
Place in performance rating	2861	2854
Price now	$89.95	$70.70
Series	AMD Phenom II X4	Legacy Intel® Core™ Processors
Value for money (0-100)	11.50	22.33
Vertical segment	Desktop	Desktop
Processor Number		i7-940
Status		Discontinued
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	3.2 GHz	2.93 GHz
Die size	169 mm	263 mm2
L1 cache	512 KB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	2 MB	256 KB (per core)
Manufacturing process technology	45 nm	45 nm
Maximum core temperature	71°C	67.9°C
Maximum frequency	3.2 GHz	3.20 GHz
Number of cores	4	4
Number of threads	4	8
Transistor count	300 million	731 million
Unlocked
Bus Speed		4.8 GT/s QPI
Front-side bus (FSB)		1333 MHz
L3 cache		8192 KB (shared)
Number of QPI Links		1
VID voltage range		0.800V-1.375V
Memory
Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3 800/1066
Max memory channels		3
Maximum memory bandwidth		25.6 GB/s
Maximum memory size		24 GB
Compatibility
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Sockets supported	AM3	FCLGA1366
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	95 Watt	130 Watt
Low Halogen Options Available
Package Size		42.5mm x 45.0mm
Security & Reliability
Execute Disable Bit (EDB)
Intel® Trusted Execution technology (TXT)
Advanced Technologies
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology
Idle States
Instruction set extensions		Intel® SSE4.2
Intel 64
Intel® AES New Instructions
Intel® Demand Based Switching
Intel® Hyper-Threading technology
Intel® Turbo Boost technology
Physical Address Extensions (PAE)		36-bit
Thermal Monitoring
Virtualization
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)